Pudge Controls the Weather-A Land and Sea TR Apr 6-Apr 15 ( Last Day new 5/26)

[jecskc]

Yay that you were able to return to Castaway Cay!!! Weird that the fruit was so insisted upon at breakfast...but it does look good!

It was really good and fresh. Maybe they were trying to get it out of inventory since it was the last day. I was glad that he insisted I order it. But it was funny how he told me I was going to have it.

Castaway Cay was the bomb-diggity. I wanna go back !!!

 

[LissaW16]

It was really good and fresh. Maybe they were trying to get it out of inventory since it was the last day. I was glad that he insisted I order it. But it was funny how he told me I was going to have it.

Castaway Cay was the bomb-diggity. I wanna go back !!!

Sometimes I think the waiters just get a bug in their butt. Ours at supper wasn't happy until the 2 of us ordered at least 3 entrees, and one night he brought us an unsolicited 4th entree. He was always very sad when Trinity chose kids club over dessert.

At breakfast the final morning, he was extra pushy, and none of us were really hungry... like he wasn't satisfied that I ordered an omelet (with meat in it), he REALLY wanted to bring me some sausage or bacon too. Which I repeatedly, and politely, refused.

 

[jecskc]

Sometimes I think the waiters just get a bug in their butt. Ours at supper wasn't happy until the 2 of us ordered at least 3 entrees, and one night he brought us an unsolicited 4th entree. He was always very sad when Trinity chose kids club over dessert.

At breakfast the final morning, he was extra pushy, and none of us were really hungry... like he wasn't satisfied that I ordered an omelet (with meat in it), he REALLY wanted to bring me some sausage or bacon too. Which I repeatedly, and politely, refused.

Wow. We only had that one pushy waiter. Glad to know it wasn't just me looking vitamin deprived.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Sometimes I think the waiters just get a bug in their butt. Ours at supper wasn't happy until the 2 of us ordered at least 3 entrees, and one night he brought us an unsolicited 4th entree. He was always very sad when Trinity chose kids club over dessert.

At breakfast the final morning, he was extra pushy, and none of us were really hungry... like he wasn't satisfied that I ordered an omelet (with meat in it), he REALLY wanted to bring me some sausage or bacon too. Which I repeatedly, and politely, refused.

I always found that the servers were insistent about the hash brown potatoes at breakfast. I'm not really a fan of them and would rather have some breakfast potatoes instead.

 

[jecskc]

I always found that the servers were insistent about the hash brown potatoes at breakfast. I'm not really a fan of them and would rather have some breakfast potatoes instead.

I think that breakfast is one of those things that Disney just doesn't do very well. I have never really had a great breakfast at Disney. I will say that my pancakes at Kona were pretty good. Their eggs are nasty.

 

[jecskc]

Day 9 – Part Two

After lunch we decided to head back to the boat.

They have strollers, wagons and wheelchairs that you can use free of charge. Just grab one.

The wind in the palm trees

On the tram back to the boat.

DH went to go book another cruise for us and DD and I headed up to deck 11. I wanted to ride the Aquaduck again and DD wanted to ride the Mickey slide. DS took off to his club again.

We got up there and there is NO line for the Aquaduck. I step in at the entry point and the CM there tells me that they are not allowing single riders due to the wind. I was like, “ you are kidding, right?” And she said no, sorry. As she let’s two kids that clearly weigh less than I do – TOGETHER. I swear both of them together barely weighed 100 pounds. And clearly ….. I weigh much more. It was stupid and I couldn’t talk DD into going. So I just brushed it off. And ordered a drink.

A mai tai. And It was STRONG. But I loved it.

An empty Aquaduck …..grrrr

View of the pretty blue water

DD enjoying the slide.

Toy Story 2 was playing on Funnelvision.

The weather is still gorgeous and since it was cooler, I didn’t think to put on sunscreen. This will prove to be a bad decision later.

After about an hour, we head back to the room. But not without taking a photo of DD and her favorite snack.

Castaway cay from our room.

The jetty on the right.

Straight ahead

Another panorama

The dreaded bag tags and form to fill out. This means we have to leave the next morning. Boohoo !!!

We started getting packed up while watching Brother Bear. Which I have to say is quite the tear jerker. We filled out all our forms and stuff and got our tip envelopes ready. I made some.

I put the date of our cruise on it in the Disney font and Head Server, Assistant Server (x2 and Stateroom Host.)

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

That stinks you weren't able to ride the Aquaduck!! Boo wind!!

I can't believe this was your last night already! It seems like your cruise went so fast!!!

 

[jecskc]

That stinks you weren't able to ride the Aquaduck!! Boo wind!!

I can't believe this was your last night already! It seems like your cruise went so fast!!!

It did !!! We waited over 500 days to take it and then, BAM, it was over. It was awesome though. There's still a few good bits left.

 

[LissaW16]

Also, a pillow case that DD made at her pajama party.

Pluto's pajama party souvenir by lissaw16, on Flickr

Notice the Toy Story sheets too. We are 100% Disney in this house!

 

[jecskc]

Pluto's pajama party souvenir by lissaw16, on Flickr

Notice the Toy Story sheets too. We are 100% Disney in this house!

It isn't a true home ithout Disney decor. Thanks for sharing. I remember you saying she loved Toy Story.

 

[LissaW16]

It isn't a true homed without Disney decor. Thanks for sharing. I remember you saying she loved Toy Story.

Cars (1 and 2), Toy Story (all 3), Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo... all rule in this house. Princesses? meh. I think she's secretly a boy.

 

[jecskc]

Cars (1 and 2), Toy Story (all 3), Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo... all rule in this house. Princesses? meh. I think she's secretly a boy.

I don't think those are exclusively boy movies. My DD only really cares about Rapunzel. And she loves all Disney movies.

 

[LissaW16]

It isn't a true home without Disney decor.

Disney as home decor? That's just weird.

My kid's bathroom:


My guest room (all from the 2011 cruise):

 

[jecskc]

Disney as home decor? That's just weird.

My kid's bathroom:


My guest room (all from the 2011 cruise):

I love if ..... all of it. (Hands clapping). See? I'm burning calories.

 

[marDgreen88]

Oh man, I would have been annoyed about not being able to ride the Aquaduck either. It looks like so much fun!

Oh my gosh, YES, Brother Bear always makes me cry!

Booo... leaving already?

 

[jecskc]

Oh man, I would have been annoyed about not being able to ride the Aquaduck either. It looks like so much fun!

Oh my gosh, YES, Brother Bear always makes me cry!

Booo... leaving already?

Now don't quit on me yet. Still another good installment before that sadness begins.

 

[jecskc]

Day 9 – Part Three

So that afternoon, we went to see the matinee show of Believe.

After enjoying the show, we took DD up to deck 11 to get her some pizza from Flo’s and went back to the room to get ready for our Palo Dinner. This is when I noticed I was sunburned from just the hour I spent up on deck while DD was riding the slide. Yep, I was a crispy critter. I should have put on some sunscreen.

We checked in on DS to make sure he had gotten something to eat and they were doing a photo scavenger hunt. We took DD to her club and headed over to Palo. We checked in and we were early, so we stepped into the Meridian Lounge to have a drink.

We ordered a drink to share.

Latitude 46.5 - Fresh Raspberry Puree, Chambord, Cognac, Taittinger Champagne

Very yummy.

Then they came to get us for dinner.

Centerpiece.

We were brought some bread.

Some crunchy breadsticks. I really liked these.

Freshly Baked Bread on Our Pizza Oven. These were good, too.

Our waiter told us a story about Palo. Palo is the Italian word for “pole”. What this signifies is that the first two Disney Cruise ships were made in Venice, Italy. “pole” referring to the pole the gondolas used to propel themselves along. And that is how the restaurant got its name. Neat story.

He brought us a plate of antipasti - Prosciutto, Bresaola, Parmesan Reggiano, Marinated Olives and Marinated artichokes, Roasted Red Peppers, served with Palo's famous Dips and Olive Oil

So good. As a matter of fact, this was my downfall. I ate too much of it and when I got my other courses, I got too full, too fast. So if you eat here, PACE yourself. Which I didn’t do.

When we finished our drink from the Meridian, I asked for a Pinot Grigio and our waiter said they were out, but he recommended a blend which we ordered and it was very smooth but not too dry. I looked for a Palo Wine list so I could tell you exactly what it is, but I can’t find a copy of the list.

DH got a red blend the waiter recommended.

For my appetizer – I ordered - Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Polenta with a roasted shallot sauce and a parmesan chip

This was a miss for me. I think it was the polenta that reeled me in but the sauce on top was just not my thing. I had about three bites and DH tried some and agreed. It was just OK to us. To someone else, it might be amazing.

DH ordered – Calamari

Which was good, but I’ve had better.

Then we were given a palate cleanser – lemon sorbet.

I loved this little touch. I ate it all. It was so light and fresh and citrus-y.


For my main course, I ordered - Chianti Braised Beef Ravioli tossed in a rich red wine reduction with oven-roasted carrots and celery.

This was very good, but very rich. Since I was so full by this time (durn that antipasti), I only managed to eat two of these ravioli.

DH ordered - Osso Buco di Vitello - Slow-roasted center cut veal shank with gremolata and risotto Milanese

He really enjoyed this. Said it was very tender and had a good flavor.

For dessert, we had - Chocolate Souffle with Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Sauces. We were going to order two, but I just couldn’t do my own justice, so instead of wasting more food, we just ordered one.

It was amazing !!!

To finish, our waiter brought this Lemon slushie thing made with Citron vodka.

Which I enjoyed almost as much as the Chocolate Souffle.

We very much enjoyed our meal here and we would definitely do this again. Two things that I will do differently: one, I will not eat too much bread and antipasti. And two, I will order lighter dishes and not the heavy rich stuff that I did order. So, live and learn.

Our Palo photo

You can really see my sunburn here.

We picked up DD from her club on the way back from dinner and DS called to check in once we got to the room. I finished packing and got our bags set out and DD and I settled in to watch The Little Mermaid. DH went to get our photos from Shutters. And then he and DS went to see John Carter at the Buena Vista Theater. It was a late showing about 11:00 PM. DD and I were asleep when they got back.

 

[DSRMary]

the souffle dessert and the citron slushie look sooooooo good! the slushie reminds me of the grey goose slushies in Epcot, which I love!

 

[jecskc]

the souffle dessert and the citron slushie look sooooooo good! the slushie reminds me of the grey goose slushies in Epcot, which I love!

Me too !!! Except this had a more concentrated lemon flavor. Sooo good. We really loved our meal there. I was bummed I ate so much of the antipasti and couldn't eat much else. Live and learn.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

I'm all caught up. I don't leave till tomorrow night so maybe (hint hint ) I'll get antoher installment before I leave.

We are really wanting to go on a Disney cruise soon and your review has made me want it so much more. We don't have a choice and have to do one in the next year (I took a new TA job that requires it, I've certainly had to do worse for job!) and this review has tipped me toward the Dream than any of the others.

Can't wait to read more.